untainted
Britishadjective
Explanation
Something that's untainted has not been spoiled or contaminated. After a flood, a homeowner is lucky to find papers and photos that are untainted by the mildew that covers most of his things. While untainted can describe things that are physically unspoiled or free from contaminants, it's more common to use the adjective to talk about the character of a person or group. A candidate with an untainted reputation has no record of controversy, and a town that's untainted by chain stores might have a more charming, old-fashioned character. The moral sense of the word — "pure," in a religious way — was the earliest meaning.
Vocabulary lists containing untainted
"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 19
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Odd One Out
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Shout
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The clean air, untainted food and clean water helped to lower the levels of caesium and other radiation stored in the children's bodies.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, to take the case out of the 9th Circuit, a procedural move to protect the judges’ working relationships and ensure the outcome is untainted by personal bias.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
By taking on Brontë’s book, Fennell was doomed to stare down millions of overly pedantic literature sticklers, people who prefer their adaptations pure and untainted.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2026
They likely recognize that degrees untainted by preferences will have greater market value.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
I watch him down the length of the ship; he grimaces and works his fingers backwards and cannot sit; and none of us can walk about, or breathe any air untainted.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
